Is It Necessary?

How important is a college education?

I remember a time during the 80s when many Americans have downplayed its value. They said that practical knowledge and skill, coupled with hard work, can lead any person to financial success.

I have no qualms about the formula for success that they have created at that time sans a college degree. Many have indeed made it big without having undergone a formal education. Even some of the world’s renowned scientists and artists are high school or college dropouts.

I remember having a serious conversation with my mom before my high school graduation about this topic. Although I was already bent on going to college, I discussed with them the possibility of joining a friend of mine in immediately working in an insurance company where his dad was a director. Of course, the suggestion was met with a frown. She gave me a litany of reasons on why I should disregard the idea of working immediately after high school.

One of the reasons that stuck in my mind was the alleged fact that all of our relatives (mom’s side) were college degree holders. I found that quite hard to believe. However, I had no means back then to check the veracity of her claims. Maybe I’ll try to run an ancestry background check on our family tree. Who knows, I might find something that I could use to tease mom :)

I have no regrets in forsaking the job offer at the insurance company and enrolling immediately in college instead. My four years in the university have greatly changed the way I see things. My impulsive attitude was tempered, and my thirst for learning quenched. I’m more confident now that I could make it in any endeavor because I have a liberal arts degree to back me up.

Like a Sponge

I’m sure I’ve already emphasized before the importance of conducting a background check on the existing and potential nannies of your children. Not only do nannies have a strong influence on your kids, they’re also virtually the latter’s second parents. Hence, you’ll definitely want the nanny that you’ll be hiring to mirror the values and ideals that you have.

Unless you’ve oriented your kids’ second parent on some ground rules on how to go about her job, chances are is that she’ll be introducing her own morals and ideas to her wards. You might think that this won’t affect your children’s growth or mindset since they’re still too young to effectively perceive things. This is an erroneous conclusion. It has already been established by numerous studies that the mind of a person is very receptive during his formative years. It’s not surprising then why kids can easily learn 2-3 languages with little difficulty. In contrast, adults will definitely have a hard time training their tongue to speak a different language.

If you’re still not convinced, then check out the new study conducted by the National Institute of Health. The center revealed in their dissertation that kids who received good child care before entering kindergarten garnered higher vocabulary scores upon reaching fifth grade than those who didn’t.

Don’t think that your child’s relationship with his or her nanny is not the one being contemplated upon by the study. Under the report’s definition of terms, child care was defined as care by anyone other than the child’s mother who was regularly scheduled for at least 10 hours per week.

Choosing the right nanny will definitely be pivotal in developing your child’s mental capacity and behavior. Of course, the burden of rearing children falls not only on the nanny’s shoulder (or lap) as the kids’ parents will still be the ultimate molder of the former’s character.

Shelter and More

I’m quite astonished at the pace by which Angelina Jolie adopts children. We all know that she already has three, two of which are adopted. The eldest is 5-year-old Maddox who was adopted by the actress in Cambodia. The second child is also adopted. 2-year-old Zahara came from Ethiopia. The third one is Shiloh, Jolie’s own daughter from current partner Brad Pitt.

The star of Tomb Raider has recently adopted a 3-year-old boy from Vietnam. The details of the adoption are not clear, but sources said that it was sanctioned by the Vietnamese government. In fact, a simple ceremony would be held to formalize the adoption.

I’m all praises for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for their efforts in providing shelter and more to homeless kids from around the globe. These children would’ve faced a bleak future had they been left in the orphanage or institution where they were found by the celebrity couple.

I’m not an avid follower of entertainment news. I’m sure Jolie and Pitt already conveyed their reasons as to why they’re taking in abandoned children from different parts of the globe. From what I know, the idea came mainly from Jolie. I think I was able to read an article written long before Jolie and Pitt became an item that featured the actress’ intention of having children through adoption. As for Pitt, all I know is that he wants to have as many children as he could have. I guess that was the reason why he and Jennifer Aniston broke up. The popular mainstay of the sitcom Friends refused to bear Pitt’s child. This difference led to the couple’s eventual separation.

Maybe something happened in Jolie’s past which made her vow to help abandoned children around the globe. Maybe I could get a few pieces of the puzzle by conducting a background check on her. All I know about her family background is that she’s the daughter of actor Jon Voight. I don’t know who her mother is, or if she has siblings. For those of you who are more acquainted with showbiz news, please sprinkle a few details on the matter. I would gladly edit this entry accordingly.

From Soccer to Football

I know many Americans have not yet warmed up to football (ok, soccer) despite the fact that Major League Soccer has been around for several years now. However, I think it’s safe to say that they’re not oblivious as to who David Beckham or Zinedine Zidane is.

David Beckaham’s popularity in the United States has been on a galactic rise ever since the LA Galaxies offered him a multi-million dollar playing contract. Posh Spice’s hubby quickly nodded to the deal. Beckham has been languishing on the Real Madrid Bench these past few months. It’s not surprising then that he quickly shook hands with the LA Galaxy owners.

As for Zidane, he attained notoriety when he head-butted an Italian player during the finals of the FIFA World Cup. Every head-butting incident in all sporting events has since been unfairly (I’m a Zidane fan) attributed to him.

I’m saddened by the fact that some only know him as the ill-tempered head-butt-er. There’s so much to Zidane than that unfortunate incident. If you’ll conduct a background check on him, you’ll see that he’s a great person on and off the field. Just recently, he played in a charity match in Thailand. One of the things that I admire about him most is his inclination to participate in humanitarian efforts or projects of the United Nations and other non-profit organizations.

I hope that the arrival of Beckham would spark a football renaissance in the United States. Football fever in America has waned after the year (1994) that it hosted the World Cup. I would also like to see Beckham prove that the MLS is not a graveyard for aging or falling European football stars. It’s a budding league compared to its South American and European counterparts. However, it has the resources and the fan base to propel the game to where basketball and baseball are in the country.

Betrayal

I’m deeply saddened by the news about two Cuban exiles who made it big in Florida, but plummeted to disrepute when authorities discovered that they were actually Cuban Intelligence Service agents.

Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were both found guilty of transmitting vital information to Cuban officials about the status of the Cuban exiles in Florida. Carlos was meted out the maximum punishment of 5 years for conspiring to act as an unregistered Cuban agent, while her wife was given a lighter sentence of 3 years for abating her husband’s acts and for not reporting the same to the authorities.

It’s a shame that some of the people whom this country coddled and took care of end up desecrating their new home by betraying the trust reposed to them by the American government. Many Cuban exiles denounced the spouses’ acts, saying that their betrayal and ingratitude have caused some people to question the minority group’s allegiance to their new country.

I don’t know what led the spouses to commit such an act. It’s not as if that they were treated poorly in their community. In fact, many looked up to them as perfect role models. Both defendants were formerly teaching at the Florida State University.

I hope the incident won’t spur racial violence against Cuban exiles. I have a few friends who are of Cuban-decent and I can say that they are exemplary American citizens. While many Cubans are braving immigration authorities from both sides just to try their luck to live the American dream, here comes two exiles who squandered something that many of their former countrymen are constantly risking their lives for.

The punishments inflicted on Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were relatively light. A similar offense committed elsewhere, say in Russia or in North Korea, might have cost them their lives. I wonder why the Cuban Intelligence Service even bothered to employ the services of agents to check the background of certain Cuban exile leaders. They could’ve easily ascertained or verified the same by themselves through the Internet.

The Vice is Coming Out

Is it just me, or is the usually coy Dick Cheney starting to rise above the shadows of the President?

The Vice President has been gracing the front pages of many dailies around the globe. A few days ago, he talked about moving out of Iraq gracefully. More recently in Australia, he protested, in carefully chosen words, China’s military build up. He also talked about North Korea and his reservations on the communist country’s sincerity in ending its nuclear development projects.

We don’t usually see the Vice President in action. State visits are usually done by the Bush himself, or by his trusted aide, Condoleezza Rice.

I won’t be surprised if many Americans have little knowledge as to who he really is. Maybe it’s time for us to conduct a thorough background check on him. He won’t likely succeed the President, but he’ll sure play a very vital role in the nation’s local and foreign affairs.

Letters From Iwo Jima

I was mindlessly flipping through the cable TV channels again when I chanced upon the trailer of Clint Eastwood’s latest film – Letters From Iwo Jima.

I’ve seen many World War II films already. My uncles were also veterans of that war, and both of them fought in the pacific. They weren’t members of the regiments that were sent in that island-fortress, though. Instead, they were sent to the Philippines.

Almost all WWII movies are the same. That’s why I wasn’t that much intrigued or elated when it was announced last year that Clint Eastwood would be directing two movies about America’s bout with the Japanese more than 6 decades ago.

While Flags of Our Fathers didn’t tickle my interest that much, my curiousity was fanned when I learned that Eastwood’s second movie about the Second World War will be made or presented as seen through the eyes of a Japanese soldier.

I haven’t seen the movie yet. Many say that the story is as real as any war film could get. I want to conduct a background check on the Japanese soldier from whom the film or story was based. I did the same on William Wallace after I watched Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. If we’ll trust the reviews, I’m sure we’ll be moved deeply by this second Iwo Jima movie by Eastwood.